Cosmin Olaroiu paid tribute to his players as Jiangsu Suning moved to within a point of the summit of the Chinese Super League on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Dalian Yifang.

Huang Zichang scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half as Jiangsu closed the gap on leaders Shanghai SIPG with their fifth win in seven games since Olaroiu took over as head coach from Fabio Capello.

But, rather than take the acclaim for turning the team around after a disappointing 2017 campaign, the Romanian...

Shandong Luneng missed the chance to move into sole possession of top spot in the Chinese Super League on Sunday as Li Xiaopeng's side was held to a 0-0 draw by Beijing Renhe, while Guizhou Hengfeng coach Gregorio Manzano took a step closer to the exit door.

Manzano's Guizhou were handed a 5-1 thrashing by Tianjin Teda and are now three points adrift at the bottom of the table, having picked up just one win in the first nine games of the season.

Shanghai SIPG have confirmed Andre Villas-Boas has left the club, announcing the Portuguese coach's departure on their social media outlet on Thursday evening.

Villas-Boas, who joined the club last winter on a one-year contract reported to be worth €15 million, has stepped down having failed to deliver on his preseason promise to win a trophy for the big-spending club.

"The 2017 season is over and while Shanghai SIPG have made some improvements there are also some regrets," the club said in...